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Sakshi Malik's happy homecoming

Like Dipa and Sindhu, India's first medal winner at Games receives rousing welcome on her return

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Olympic bronze medallist Sakshi Malik is felicitated at a ceremony in Gurgaon on Wednesday
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After Dipa Karmakar and PV Sindhu, it was the turn of Sakshi Malik to get a hero's welcome upon her return to India.

The bronze medallist wrestler, who won the country's first medal at the just-concluded Rio Olympics, landed here early on Wednesday morning amidst a hoard of people awaiting to catch a glimpse of the girl who literally became an overnight sensation with her rather unexpected podium finish.

As soon as the 23-year-old walked out of the arrival gates of the Indira Gandhi International Airport, there was a collective roar among the awaiting people including the girl's proud parents. Probably taken aback by the huge turnout, Sakshi showcased her much-cherished bronze medal, while waving to the crowd.

"I want to thank each and everyone for such a warm welcome. I am so happy to see so many people cheering for me. I also to thank all those who prayed for me, which helped me win the medal for my country," Sakshi said after her arrival here.

"It was my dream to win an Olympic medal and I worked really hard for that. Now that I have won it, it seems as if I am living my dream," she added.

The Haryana girl couldn't hide her emotions after seeing her family, and so couldn't her parents.

"As I hugged my father and showed him my medal, tears rolled down his cheeks. My family was very emotional and they were very happy to see me," she said.

The first female wrestler from the country to win a medal at the Games, Sakshi didn't forget to thank the more illustrious wrestlers, particularly Geeta Phogat, under whose shadow Sakshi has always been in the 58kg category.

""When she became the first woman wrestler to qualify for the Olympics, I thought I could also do it. In fact, I felt why just one category, more women in different categories could also qualify. She has inspired me and contributed to my success. My seniors like Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt also inspired me a lot and I learnt a lot from them," she said.

The girl from Rohtak, who will be given the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award on August 29, said the icing on the cake for her was carrying the national flag in the closing ceremony.

":I had always thought of winning an Olympic medal but becoming a flag-bearer for my country was unbelievable. It was such a proud moment for me that I was chosen to be the flag-bearer for my country," she said.

Beti Padhao Beti Bachao ambassador

After being greeted by various ministers at a ceremony, Sakshi travelled to Bahadurgarh in Jhajjar district of Haryana, where state chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar welcomed her. Attending another felicitation ceremony there, Sakshi was handed a cheque of Rs 2.5 crore by the chief minister.

She was also appointed as Haryana's brand ambassador for the Beti Padhao Beti Bachao programme.

"Sometimes, some people used to say that she is a girl and this (wrestling) is not good for her," Sakshi's father Sukhbir Malik. "But in 2010, when my daughter won a medal in an event in Russia and later won an Asia Championship, then Commonwealth (Games), everyone wanted to be like Sakshi and emulate what she had done."

Sakshi then proceeded towards her hometown of Rohtak, but stopped at the Ismaila village to visit her maternal uncle. Even there, she was greeted with garlands and dancing school children while travelling in an open bus.

It was just that kind of a day for the champion, and she surely deserved every inch of the adulation that was coming her way.

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Rs 2.5cr
Amount worth of cheque given by Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar to Sakshi

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